Easel



1942. c. M. BRICKER ,30

EASEL Filed Aug. 15, 1941 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 15, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EASEL Carrie M. Bricker, Cleveland, Ohio Application August 15, 1941, Serial No. 407,089

5 Claims.

The present invention is for an improved form of easel or the like, especially adapted for supporting a picture, menu card or other such card to be displayed, although capable of being used for various other objects.

The object of this invention is to devise an efiicient form of easel or the like that is of simple construction and hence not costly to manufacture.

Another object is to devise such an easel that can be shipped and sold in knock-down form and readily assembled by the user.

Another object is to devise such an easel tha can be readily adjusted so that the angle of inclination may be varied, there being provided means for holding the inclined member of the easel in the position to which adjusted.

Another object is to devise such an easel in which the interengagement of the members themselves affords a means for effectively clamping and holding in place the picture or the like thereupon.

Other objects will appear from the following description and claims when considered together with the accompanying drawing.

Fig. l is a perspective view of my present form of improved device in position for holding a picture or the like;

Fig. 2 is a partial end elevation illustrating the manner of initially engaging the rolled portions of the two members of the present device; and

Fig. 3 is a partial end elevation illustrating the members in full engagement with each other and with an object engaged thereupon.

It is to be understood that the present form of disclosure is merely for the purpose of illustration and that there may be devised various modifications thereof without departing from the spirit of the invention as herein set forth and claimed. For instance, any suitable material may be employed with different appearances for artistic effect and the sizes and dimensions of the device may also be varied according to the particular use to which it is to be put in any particular case. The form and dimensions of the individual members may also be'varied according to varying conditions under which the device is intended to be employed.

The form of easel, as herein shown, comprises two members only, namely a base member and an. inclined member. In the present specific form of illustration, these two members are exact duplicates of each other. In this form of device, there is required no other means for either holding the members together or for holding the picture or other object in place upon the easel.

Each of these two members is made of resilient sheet metal in one preferred form of device although the matter of material and size and dimensions may be varied, as above indicated. The base member has a plain portion I that is adapted to rest upon the table or the like, and the inclined member has also a plain portion 2 that is adapted to extend upwardly and, rearwardly at the desired angle, with respect to the base portion I, so as to suitably support a picture or other object thereupon.

The one end portion of each of these two members is formed into-a substantiallycylindrical integral roll, as indicated by reference numerals 3 and 4, respectively, the extreme edges of the rolled portions being free in both instances and having their free edges formed with reinforcing flanges 5 and B, respectively.

In order to assemble these two members, the rolled portion of the one member is slid longitudinally into the rolled portion of the other member so as to engage each other in the manner indicated in Fig. 2, this being the initial position of interengagement. Then the picture-supporting member is turned about the longitudinal axis of the rolled portions so as to occupy the desired angle of inclination with respect to the base pore tion I. At the same time there is effected a frictional locking engagement between the rolled portions so as to hold the members in such position of adjustment without any other means being required for this purpose.

The frictional locking engagement between the rolled portions is made possible by the tendency of the free edges of the rolled portions to assume an ofi-centre condition with respect to the longitudinal axis of the roll in each instance. Another contributing factor in this frictional locking engagement is found in the fact that the rolled portions are both of the same diameter and that one of them is placed Within the other with a certain resulting binding efiect between the surfaces of these rolled portions, as will be apparent. The result is that there is obtained an effective locking engagement between the rolled portions for a sufilciently wide range of movement to ensure efiective holding of the inclined member at the desired angle.

Another feature of novelty in the present easel resides in the very simple and yet efiective manner in which the picture or like objectmay be held in place upon the easel. This is illustrated in Fig. 3 in which the picture or other object P is indicated as having its lower edge in frictional engagement between the resiliently-acting free edge portion of the roll 3 of the base member and the lower part of the inclined portion 2. That is, the space allowed at this point is slightly smaller than the average thickness of the picture or other object which may be very readily inserted into the same; in fact, this space may be practically nil. Thus, without requiring any other means, there is afforded a very efficient means for holding the picture or the like in place as it rests against the inclined portion 4. The picture may be readily removed at any time and replaced by another with the same ease.

In addition to the very simple and effective manner of interengagement between the rolled portions and the equally simple and effective means thereby provided for holding. the picture or other object in place, the rolled portions also contribute to the appearance of the device,

.ward edge portion, andan upwardly and rearwardly inclined memberhaving its lower edge portion formed as a resilient substantially cylindrical roll, said rolls ,having frictional locking engagement the one withinthe other, and said inclined member being vangularly adjustable about the longitudinal axis of said rolls, said rolled portions constituting a means of support for the lower edge of a card or the likeupon said inclined m rj 2. An easel comprising a base member of resilient material having a substantially cylindrical rolled edge portion with its extreme edge free, and an upwardly, and rearwardly inclined mem ber of resilient material having a substantially cylindrical rolled edge portion with its extreme edge free, said rolled portions having adjustable frictional locking engagement the one within the other, and the free edge of the rolled portion on said base member co-operating with the adjacent portion of said inclined member to provide means of frictional engagement for receiving and holding the lower edge of a card or the like upon said inclined member.

3. An easel comprising a base member and an upwardly and rearwardly inclined member, both of said members consisting of resilient material and having duplicate rolled edge portions of substantially cylindrical form with their extreme edges free, said rolled portions having adjustable self-locking frictional engagement the one within the other, and the free edge of the rolled portion of said base member co-operating with the adjacent part of said inclined member to provide means of frictional engagement for receiving and holding the lower edge portion of a card or the occupy the desired angle of inclination and'se like upon said inclined member.

, 4. An easel comprising a base member and an upwardly and rearwardly inclined member, said members having substantially cylindrical resilient portions arranged co-axially the one within the other in interlockingfrictional connection capa ble of ready adjustment about the longitudinal axis of said cylindrical portions as to permit variation of the angle of inclination of said in r having *substantially cylindrical resilient edge portions arranged co axially the one within the other so as tohave self-locking and adjustable frictional engagement with each ,other, whereby said auxiliary member may be readily adjusted to cured in such position by means of such frictional engagement between said cylindrical edge portions. 7

V CARRIE M. BRICKER. 

